


Guns and Vixens

by Soulsparce



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Coach - Freeform, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, I’ll add more characters and tags as the story progresses to avoid spoilers, M/M, Slow Burn, mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26024473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulsparce/pseuds/Soulsparce
Summary: A mundane, high school coach’s life is turned upside down when a strange visitor visits him one night and claims that he’s the son of a mafia leader.
Relationships: Tauroneo “Taro” Gracy/Barney “Ryder” Byron
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. A Rude Awakening

_ How was school, dear?  _

_ Mama, everyone brought their daddies to school for Father’s Day. Where’s my daddy? _

_ Daddy’s... not with us, sweetheart. _

_ Why? Does he... hate us? _

_ No, Taro! Don’t you ever think that. He just... couldn’t be around us. _

_... _

_...Come, pumpkin. Let’s go home. I’ll cook your favorite, chicken parmigiana. _

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


**BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG**

Taro jolted out of his slumber with a shriek and face planted onto the wood floor below. He quickly gathered himself and whipped his head around the room.

“What the hell?!”

He was answered with more loud pounding. He checked his bedside clock.

_ 2AM? Who the hell is making such a racket so late? _

He slipped on a shirt, turned some lights on,and dashed for the source of the disturbance. Was it the police? Did something happen? He lived in a relatively safe area; the worst occurrence was a home invasion at Madame Nancy’s abode down the road last year.

Taro checked his peephole. Whomever was on the other side was wearing all black, and was therefore invisible in the night air. 

“Wait!” Taro said before the stranger could beat on the door again. With caution, he opened the door and was greeted by a mountain of a man. He stood at a minimum of 6 and a half feet, his impressive frame nearly nudging the door’s. His rugged face and hollow eyes, dimly lit by the moonlight, bore holes through Taro.

“Um... hell-“

“Mr. Gracy. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Huh? How do you know my name? Who are you?”

The man in black gives a bow, much to Taro’s embarrassment.

“What are you- Look, if you don’t explain yourself, I’m calling the-“

“Tauroneo Gracy, son of Giovanni Martinelli. I have been sent on an urg-“

Taro had tuned out the mystery man, too busy processing the first half of his statement. Giovanni? Who was this Giovanni? And... Taro’s father? He hadn’t thought of the man in decades; he was dead for all he knew. He had missed him, hated him, and finally distanced himself from any thoughts of him. And now, creeping in the middle of the night like some big, busty boogeyman, this man-

“Mr. Gracy.”

Taro snapped back to attention. “Don’t call me that. I don’t mind it from my students, but hearing it from another adult makes me feel- Wait, why am I- give me _one_ good reason I should believe a _single_ word coming from your trap.”

“He said to tell you ‘Weathering the storm, opens the door, to sunshine’s splendor.’ He said you would know what it meant.”

Taro's throat went dry. His mother always used that rhyme when he was a kid; to calm him down or lift him when he was down. If this Giovanni character knew it, then...

Taro stepped out of the way to let the suited man in. “...Alright. I’ll play along for now. But you’d better tell me everything you know.”

“Of course.”

“You got a name?” Taro asked as he locked the door behind him.

“Barney Byron, but I  go by Ryder in our group, sir.”

“Will you stop with the honorifics?! I’m only 37!”

“Forgive me.”

Taro sauntered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Total stranger claiming to know the whereabouts of his long-lost father or not, Taro wasn’t going to be a rude host. “Want a beer or something?”

“No, thank you.”

“Well I certainly need one...”

He grabbed a can and sat on the leather chair facing his enigmatic guest. After a few satisfying gulps, he demanded answers.

“Alright _Ryder._ Who are you? And where is my father? Hope that bastard knows he has a son who’s never had him in his life.”

Ryder’s face twisted into a form of anguish for a moment before reverting to its stone cold gaze. “Your father led the Killer Vixen. I was his most trusted bodyguard.”

Taro stared at the man before slapping himself. Upon seeing he didn’t wind up back in his bed, he downed the rest of his beer in one gulp. This was real, not some crazy dream born from his action movie marathons with his friends. The Killer Vixen was the deadliest and most feared group in town. If you crossed one, you and your records suddenly vanished the next day, as if you never even existed. And his father was their supposed leader? Speaking of his father... Taro was gasping for air after downing the drink.

“You... didn’t answer the second part... Where is he now?”

Ryder’s face returned to its previous state of grief and remained that way.

“He’s... he’s dead.”


	2. Widower's Lament

_“_ _Haa_ _!_ _Yaagh_ _!_ _Wurrreagh_ _!”_   
  
_“Enough!”_   
  
_“!”_   
  
_“Impressive... Defeating 10 of my men without so much as breaking a sweat.”_   
  
_“...”_   
  
_“I’m not here to fight. In fact, I sense much promise in you. What say you join our little family?”_

* * *

  
Taro walked to work in a daze. His hands were clammy and his mind was racing. His entire life had flipped upside-down overnight. His father, Giovanni Martinelli, whom he had long since discarded to his past, was the leader of the most feared group in Town. Before the school coach could go greet the bastard, Martinelli was pronounced dead, and his burly bodyguard was sent to watch over Taro like some stone-faced babysitter. 

The following morning’s events played over and over in his head. 

* * *

Taro slammed his fist on his alarm clock to cease its relentless beeping. It was 5AM; time to get ready for work like any other day. The instant the middle-aged man’s feet touched the carpeted floor, his heart stopped. What had happened just a few hours ago steamrolled into his head like a freight train. The force was great enough to push him back onto the bed, but his legs proved stronger. He dashed out of his room and peeked out the corner into the living room and, sure enough, a gargantuan figure was ominously peering out the window.

After Ryder had disclosed Martinelli’s fate and his reasons for coming, Taro decided to go back to sleep and hopefully wake with no traces of this obvious nightmare. The bodyguard’s gaze was unflinching, intimidating; it would be no surprise if he made the squirrels and birds outside cower in fear. He had assumed that station before Taro went to sleep; the coach doubted he had gotten any rest at all. 

“You don’t have to keep watch you know,”  Taro remarked, leaning his shoulder against the corner. 

Ryder glanced in  Taro ’s direction for a brief moment before resuming his night watching. “I vowed to protect you no matter the cost. I will not sully my duty.”

Taro felt a simmering heat rise to his cheeks. Was the large man acutely aware of how oddly romantic that sounded? And regardless, why did it make  Taro react in such a way? Maybe it’s because the man hadn’t gotten laid in a while...

“...I’m  gonna take a piss.” the coach announced to no one in particular as he ducked into the bathroom. With a relieved bladder and freshened body,  Taro stared at his reflection in the mirror.

_ So _ _ you’re the son of a mafia head. Big deal! Happens to everyone! _

…

He let out a deep sigh he wasn’t aware he was holding. He really needed to get in touch with his Ma. There was no way she had any idea about this... right? But she hardly shed any light on his father and her past with him.

Taro returned to his room and dialed his mother’s number. Before he could realize how early it would be for her to be awake, she answered, as if she knew he’d call.

“Good morning, dear...” Margret Gracy greeted solemnly.

“Ma... You’re up early,”  Taro replied flatly.

“I know. Is... Is Ryder there?”

“ So you  _ do _ know him! What the hell is going on?! This- human  _**mountain** _ shows up to my front door and, says he and dad are in the Vixens?! What-” Before he could vent any further, he clamped his mouth with his free hand and looked towards his door. He had exploded so suddenly that he did not consider the giant man in the next room; Ryder had probably heard everything.

Margret was silent before answering her son’s pleas with a whisper. “I’m sorry. I was going to introduce you to your father very soon actually, but he... left us so suddenly...”

Taro remained quiet. He didn’t really know what to say to that. 

“I’ll tell you everything,” Margret took a deep breath before starting. “Your father was a client of mine at a strip club I worked at the time. He was my final one of the  evening . He took a special liking to me and took me home afterward. From then, he would always make time to see me. Normally I wouldn’t give men like him a second thought, but he had a certain... charm that even now I can't describe. He showered me with gifts, took me on dates and... well, I’ll spare you the details,” she giggled to herself.  Taro mouthed a  _ thank you _ to whoever was listening. “He was a little rough around the edges, but... I was happy.

“Did you know he led the Vixens?”  Taro asked.

Her moment of joy faded as quickly as it emerged. “Well, next is where this little love story takes a dip. Two years after we met, I was abducted by some people whom I would later learn were enemies of your father. They learned he and I were seeing each other and wanted to use me to get to him. In short, I was rescued with ease, but your father was devastated. He loved me, and did not want to drag me into that scary life of his. That’s why he kept his... profession a secret from me. I felt that then was as appropriate a time as ever to tell him... that I was pregnant with you. That was the final straw for him. It’s cliché for gang leaders to raise a child as their heir, but Gi- er, your father, grew to hate his constant threatening and abuse of power. He was on top of the world at the start of his leadership, but realized far too late that he wanted to settle down and start a family. He didn’t want to force that life to anyone close to him, not to me, and certainly not to you. So, he shipped me to the other end of town and ensured I had all the money and necessities I needed to raise you. We... had to end our relationship as we knew it, but it was for the best. For my safety and for yours.”   
  
“Ma...”

After a beat of dismal silence, Margret coughed back a sob and continued. “As I said, we were arranging to have the two of you meet, but your father suddenly had a stroke. His health was diminishing of late, and the stress from his leading a violent gang certainly wasn’t helping things. Now before you ask, I’m fine. Your father and I... said our goodbyes a long time ago. It’s you that I’m worried about. I had you grow up without a father, and only watched as your resentment towards him grew to resignment. For that... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,  Taro .”

Taro was utterly floored by his mother’s confessions. The whole situation seemed ripped out of a cheesy action movie. Sure, the absence of his father left a deep scar in his heart, but he was angrier at the situation than the man himself. Now, after hearing his mother out, he just felt sorry for the poor bastard. There was no one he pitied more than his mother, however, and she needed her son now more than ever. 

“Please don’t apologize, Ma,” he began. “What I felt back then is... just a distant memory now. And you said it yourself; you and Father were only trying to protect me. I’d say I didn’t turn out half bad, yeah? And it’s all thanks to your courage in the face of adversity. Thank you, for everything.”   
  
Margret answered her son’s heartfelt speech with stunned silence. After a few seconds, she let her emotions run free. “Oh, Taro...,” was all she could manage between sobs. Taro gritted his teeth; he wanted to hold and comfort his mother more than anything at that moment, but circumstances forbade the notion. It frustrated him to no end. His eyes threatened to produce tears of their own, but he willed them down. He needed to stay strong for his mother. The coach silently allowed his mother to cry out her bottled-up emotions.

When her wails eventually subsided, she spoke to Taro with the same brave front she assumed at the beginning of the call. “Thank you, son. You really did inherit your father’s tenderness.”

“You sure I didn’t get that from you?” Taro asked happily.

His mother chuckled at that. “Maybe a bit of both. Again, I’m terribly sorry about all of this, Taro. It’s unlikely that any of your father’s enemies know of your relation, but we are taking extra precaution. I’m sure he’s already told you this, but Ryder will watch over you until the Vixens find a suitable replacement. Ryder is of few words, but has a kind heart; your father felt safer with no one else.”

“Will you be safe?”

“I’ve been relocated to comfortable quarters until all of this is settled. I don’t have to do any cleaning, and I’m pampered like a queen! It feels more like I’m on vacation than in hiding. You should come here sometime!”

“R-right... Well, as long as you’re okay,” Taro scratched the back of his head; it was so like her to embrace the silver lining of things. 

“A-” Margret started but spoke in a barely audible whisper for a few moments. “Sorry, dear,” she conceded, returning to the call. “I have a foot rub to go to! As I said, you have little to worry about; just go about your business and everything will return to normal in time. Still, promise me you’ll be careful, alright? And call me!”

“I will, I will!” Even in a situation as bizarre and dire as lying low from criminals, Taro’s Ma found a way to nag him to death. “You be careful too, yeah?”

“Deal. Bye, honey! Kisses!” 

Taro ended the call and tossed his phone onto his bed. Margret seemed rather cheery by the end of their call, almost like a weight was lifted off her shoulders after revealing the truth of his father. That said, she gave him a heap of revealing information that Taro hadn’t the stomach to dissect so early in the morning. He got dressed, deciding to let work take his mind off of things and ponder everything afterward. 

“I’m going to work,” Taro informed Ryder, who had finally retired from his post by the window and was sitting on the couch watching TV. He must have been satisfied with his stakeout and deemed the area safe enough to unwind a little.

The bodyguard quickly stood upon hearing Taro’s  announcement , however. He stood in front of him in two quick strides and produced a card from inside his vest. “If anything seems suspicious to you, call me. I will rush to your aid.”

“Thanks...,” Taro had too much on his mind to question Ryder’s strangely calvary attitude. If the bodyguard had heard his outburst earlier, he was acting as if he hadn’t.

Ryder opened the door for the coach. “I will remain here otherwise. Have a good day, Mr. Gracy.”

“I told you to stop- You know what? Never mind. Call me whatever the hell you want. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge,” Taro waved the stoic man off and started down the stairs of his apartment building.

_ Tauroneo _ _? _

Taro’s stomach knotted and his vision blurred; it took what little control he had left to keep from falling down the stairwell. He sat on the nearest step and panted, waiting for the sudden dizzy spell to pass. He wasn’t certain what had caused him to be so nauseated; he was as fine as could be until he heard his name, his true name, uttered by a frighteningly familiar voice. Then, a figure materialized out of thin air before the man. His vision was still impaired, but Taro’s skin grew cold. The figure slowly approached Taro, the coach’s heart beating faster with each step. His mind and body knew who the figure was, but his consciousness used every device applicable to protect himself from the horrid truth.

Giovanni stood before his son and looked down on him. Taro was struggling to breathe, his heart was pounding in his ears, and his eyes threatened to burst. He wanted to move, to scream, to do anything, but was paralyzed under the older man’s gaze. He shut his eyes, pleading to whoever was listening to release him from the nightmare.

“Coach?” his father asked with a voice too unfitting to be his own.

Taro recovered all sense of self in an instant, and all he could do was look up in complete bafflement. “Huh?”

* * *

“Coach Gracy, are you okay?”

Taro blinked twice and found his father far shorter than before. He also noticed that he was wearing a student’s uniform for the school he taught at. It was then that Taro realized that the young man in front of him was indeed  _ not _ his father. The coach shook his head and tried to appear as professional as possible.

“Heya, Brendan! What can I do for you?”

“You said you found my phone?” Brendan asked cautiously.

“Oh, that’s right!” Taro produced a smartphone from his desk drawer and handed it to the young student. “Here you are. Don’t lose it again, yeah?”

“Thanks, Coach!” Brendan chirped and dashed out of Taro’s office. 

Taro leaned back in his desk chair and sighed. He was unsure of exactly when his mind wandered to that morning’s events, and just how much of it was real. He slowly wiped a hand down his face.

He didn’t know how long this bodyguard arrangement would last, but he knew it would feel like ages until his life was remotely restored to the way it  previously was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was mainly to instill some backstory/lore the bonding begins next chapter (relieved emoji)

**Author's Note:**

> ...Hi. First, wow this is the fastest I’ve posted a fic after my last. Just 2 days? Amazing.  
> Second, I know I said I’d post my teacher fic next but I read a doujin and this idea came to me so here we are. I’ll be working on both fics now and I’m positive the teacher one will be posted long before this is done.  
> And third, wow! My first non-one shot! I had another fic idea which I thought would hold that honor but nope! This idea flew into my brain so here you are.  
> You know the drill, thanks for reading and stay safe in this wacky ass world.


End file.
